CTA to begin work on Wilson Red Line stop this month

CTA riders who use the Wilson Red Line stop soon will need a new thesaurus.

For years, some riders have used words such as “dirty,” “disgusting,” “dilapidated,” “dangerous,” “depressing,” “sad,” “shabby,” “smelly,” “unsafe,” “frightening” and “horrible” in emails to RedEye to describe Uptown’s Wilson station, which dates back to the early 1900s.

But starting this month, the CTA is slated to begin work on a three-year, $203 million renovation project that will transform the Wilson stop into a transfer point for the Purple Line Express and a station accessible for riders with disabilities.

Some riders who use Wilson say the stop—a three-time winner of the RedEye Crust Station contest to dishonor the worst CTA station—is in desperate need of this makeover.

The graffiti-covered walls, urine-soaked platform, 50-step staircases and dark corners that invite lingering homeless people have caused some riders to take longer commutes to avoid the station, especially at night. Riders say the station renovation also may help revitalize Uptown, which has struggled with gang violence and shootings.

When Brent Frost, 37, tells people he lives in Uptown, he said he gets a "politely masked yet obviously distasteful look." Frost has lived in the community area, loosely bounded by Foster Avenue to the north, Irving Park Road to the south, Ravenswood Avenue to the west and Lake Michigan to the east, since the '90s.

During that time, Frost said, he's watched his community add high-end rental apartments and new businesses including a Target store near the Wilson stop, which sees about 5,700 riders on a typical weekday.

Yet Uptown and the station's negative reputations persist. The area by the station has seen its share of shootings, including a 2012 homicide in the station's block and an August 2013 shooting that killed one man and injured four near Uptown Baptist Church a few blocks away. Ald. James Cappleman (46th), whose office is near the Wilson stop, did not offer comment for this story.

Frost said having a stop that's the equivalent of the Fullerton and Belmont Red Line stops, which also serve as transfer points for the Purple Line Express, would be a "game changer" for Uptown.

"Uptown doesn't deserve that [negative connotation]. It may be a little bare bones in places, but it is a great colorful place," Frost said. "Walk 10 minutes from Lakeview, Andersonville or Lincoln Square and you are there. The Wilson station renovation will help unite these neighborhoods on the North Side. Instead of people pretending like they aren't next to Uptown, maybe it will one day soon be a proud selling point."

But it may take a while to get there; even the groundbreaking has been a multi-year process. In 2010, the CTA announced $3 million in TIF funding, money intended to spur development in some neighborhoods, to rehab the stop. In 2011, Mayor Emanuel proclaimed Wilson would see a large-scale fix paid for with the TIF funds and federal and state money. Retail space was vacated and construction was supposed to start last year.

Amid back and forth with Uptown residents about maintaining the station's historic nature, the CTA pushed back contractor selection and later put out another request for bids.

The CTA board approved a contractor, Walsh/II In One Joint Venture of Illinois, this summer, and pre-construction work including utility relocation, foundation work and some demolition, is expected to start this month. Construction is slated to be complete in fall 2017.

The overhaul won't be easy either. The project requires creating temporary entrances north and south of Wilson Avenue and an exit near Sunnyside Avenue, and demolition and reconstruction of track. The station will remain open during construction.

And there may be rats. The CTA warned residents at a meeting last month that demolition work may force rodents from their homes in and around the stationhouse, but said it has a rat abatement plan for before and during construction.

Kimberly Phung, owner of Hing Wang restaurant, said the CTA needs to kill all rats before starting major construction. Phung, who said she gets more foot traffic from nearby Truman College than the Red Line, is worried about the impact to her business.

"I don't want them to close the street—even one day," Phung said. Still, she said the Wilson station "needs a lot of work."

When complete, the station will feature two new elevators, escalators, more than 100 new security cameras and digital train tracking displays. Wilson is the last of the CTA's 140-plus stations to get these displays. International artist Cecil Balmond will create artwork to the tune of $204,000.

Bruce Klink, 26, is looking forward to the improvements. He said he uses the stop once a week but sometimes will avoid that station when friends or family are visiting from out of town by getting off the train at the neighboring Lawrence stop or by walking to the Montrose Brown Line stop in North Center.

Klink said he's never encountered a problem at Wilson beyond panhandling but said he experiences a persistent feeling he might get mugged.

"You're definitely looking over your shoulder when you are walking near [the station], especially if it is late," said Klink, of Ravenswood. "Once Wilson gets its makeover, I think that whole area will be a desirable place to live."